Huebner



Feb. 21, 1956 L. l.. HEY ET AL 2,735,133

i HINGE Filed Jan. 1re,V 19,50 2 sheets-smet 1 Feb. 21, 1956 l L HEY ETAL HINGE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan. 16, 1950 LESTER' L. HEY 8 ELDON M.PIP/1L,

INVENTORS. HUE ENE/EEE HLE WORREL,

HERZ/6 8 CALDWELL,

By A TTOP/VEVS.

@LDA-1 ug?. d0.

HINGE Lester L. Hey and Eldon M. Pipal, Burbank, Calif.; said Heyassgnor to said Pipai Application January 16, 1950, Serial No. 138,856 3Claims. (Cl. 16-128) The application refers to hinges and has referenceparticularly to a hinge frequently designated as a strap hinge and whichis one found particularly acceptable in the construction of cabinetswhere heretofore offset type hinges have been very largely used.

The art of cabinet making has been one usually requiring skillfulworkmanship of artisans adept in the use of tools. Successful cabinetwork requires the precise fitting of parts in order not only that theparts may be well put together but also to the end that the cabinet workwill present a finished appearance whether painted to give it anacceptable finish or whether stained and polished under conditions whereline wood paneling becomes the material desired.

In cabinet making the hanging of doors requires special skill in ordernot only to preserve a solidity of construction and neatness ofappearance but also to the end that this portion of the cabinet work maybe done sufficiently rapidly so that the work may be engaged inprofitably. When doors are hung the hinges must 'oe applied with specialcare so that once set the doors will swing properly and will not need areadjustment of the hinge attachments. Screw holes once made in thewrong place are diicult to correct. Hinges misplaced even by a smallamount will mar the appearance of the cabinet work. Moreover hinges usedin cabinet work particularly need be kept rather small so that they donot dominate the appearance of the work.

Having these conditions and limitations in mind it is among the objectsof the invention to provide a new and improved hinge which is neat inappearance, easy to install accurately and which can be applied with fargreater rapidity than hinges heretofore employed.

Another object of the invention is to provide a new and improved hingefor work in the nature of cabinet work which is so constructed that itwill nd its own position of proper alignment when employed in the mannerprescribed.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a new and improvedstyle of strap hinge which will accommodate itself to any type ofwoodwork and particularly plywood under conditions where the likelihoodof splitting or damaging the wood is minimized.

Further included among the objects of the invention is to provide astrap hinge which when applied is substantially concealed, therebypreserving the continuity of the cabinet work to which it may be appliedand improving the ease of painting the finished articles.

The objects include further the provision of a hinge which is simple andinexpensive to manufacture, which once installed can be readily removedfor readjustment if necessary or the removal of a door from its casing,which is adaptable to doors and mill work in a great variety of sizesand weights, and which is so constructed that it will retain its gripthroughout expansion and contraction of the wood to which it is attachedas moisture conditions vary throughout the life of the cabinet work.

With these and other objects in view, the invention fnted States Patent2,735,133 Patented Feb. 21, 1956 consists in the construction,arrangement and combination of the various parts of the device wherebythe objects contemplated are attained, as hereinafter set forth, pointedout in the appended claims and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a front elevational view partly in section showing the hingein a position mounting a door upon a frame.

Figure 2 is a horizontal sectional view taken on the line 2 2 of Figure1.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary horizontal sectional view taken on the line 33 of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a fragmentary vertical sectional View taken on the line 4 4of Figure 2.

Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view taken on the line 5 5 of Figure 4.

Figure 6 is an exploded view showing the manner of application of thehinge to a plywood panel.

Figure 7 is a condensed View showing a subsequent position of the partsin the step following Figure 6.

Figure 8 is a plan view of a blank of material from which one strap ofthe hinge may be formed,

Figure 9 is an exploded View showing an expander for the hinge and atool useful in its insertion.

Figure l0 is a cross sectional view of a modified form of the hinge.

Figure l1 is a form for a blank from which one strap of the hinge ofFigure l() is made.

Figure l2 is a View of the modified form of the device shown in sectionin Figure 10.

The hinge of the invention as illustrated in the drawings shows a strapor cabinet type hinge by way of example wherein only two screw holes andtwo screws are needed for mounting the hinge instead of customary hingesnecessitating four, five or six screw holes in all and in any eventscrew holes for both straps of the hinge. As shown the hinge consists ofa hinge strap it) of somewhat conventional design in that it is adaptedto be mounted upon a door frame 11 by means of screws 12. A second hingestrap 13 is secured to the hinge strap i@ by a pivoting joint indicatedgenerally by the reference character 14 shown in the drawings with theaxis of the swivel joint vertical so that a cabinet door i5 is adaptedto swing upon a vertical axis. The swivel joint includes a hinge pin 16on the hinge strap 1h and a hinge or sheaf i7 on the hinge strap 13.

The hinge strap i3 is specially constructed with respect to its means ofattachment to the door 15' to the end that the hinge strap is providedwith an expansion shield 18 adapted to be inserted into a cylindricalhoie 19 in the door l5. For convenience the hole 19 may be drilled inthe door at the same time dowel holes are drilled for assembling partsof the door itself. When jigs or special mounts are used as is customaryin cabinet shops, the holes 19 may be located with a Very high degree ofprecision and accuracy as well as at a great saving of time. Thediameter of the hole 19 is made such that it provides a tight sliding taround the exterior of the expansion shield 1S.

The hinge strap 13 may be considered as having a fiat section 2i) in theembodiment selected which may be stamped as illustrated in Figure 8prior to forming. When completed the hinge strap will have the expansionshield 18 extending edgewise from the flat section, usually in therelationship illustrated in Figures l, 2 and 6. The expansion shield isordinarily made generally cylindrical with longitudinal splits 21 and21' extending in a direction transverse to the axis of the hingeconnection and ordinarily as shown in a plane at right angles to theplane of the hinge strap 13. At the free end the shield is bentoutwardly to form wood gripping projections 22. The expansion shield mayalso be provided with additional projections or configurations 23 whichserve as another means of gripping the wall of the hole 19 so as to moreeiectively anchor the cxpansion shield in place.

To improve the strength and durability of the hinge strap 13 there maybe provided one or more stiffening grooves 24 here shown extending in ageneral parallel relationship to the axis of the expansion shield. Thesegrooves are primarily for the purpose of providing rigidity to the hingestrap.

There is also provided upon the hinge strap a tlat offset portioncomprising depth setting elements 2S which in the embodiment of Figuresl, 2 and 6 are two in number located on opposite sides of the expansionshield. These depth setting elements are in fact portions of of thehinge strap 13 bent upwardly to present liat areas or faces to theadjacent edge of the cabinet structure to which the hinge strap is to beattached. Points serve to anchor the strap in position.

With respect to forming the hinge strap 13 from a blank, attention isdirected again to Figure 8 wherein the depth setting elements 25 areshown separated by cuts 52 from the body of the hinge strap and punchedholes 53 are made which on one side thereof iix the location of grooves3S and on the other side tix the location of straight edges 54 whichdetermine not only the position of the depth setting elements S3 butalso which contribute to setting the depth of the expansion shield bycontact of the edges 54 with the wood at the edge of the door.

Although the expansion shield may be so sized as to tit snugly with acertain degree of frictional attachment within the hole 19, it is foundthat better results are enjoyed when the shield is forcibly expandedwithin the hole. To expand the shield there is provided a plug orexpander 3i) shown in perspective view in Figure 9 and shown inassembled position in Figures 2, 4 and 5. In the embodiment selected forthe purpose of illustration the expander comprises a strip of metalwhich may be spring steel, V-shaped or angularly shaped in crosssectionas is apparent in Figure 5. The expander is preferably tapered from anoutside end 31 toward an inside end 32 so that it may readily enter theinterior of the expansion shield and be driven into place either by useof a hammer or other convenient tool. The expander is provided with anaperture 33 to the end that once the expander has been driven into placein the position shown in Figures 2 and 4 some tool such as a hook orwire may be inserted into the aperture 32 and the expander withdrawn,thus improving the ease of removing the hinger strap and expansionshield from engagement with the door 15.

When the hinge is to be applied to structural elements as, for example,to the door trarne 12 and the door 15, the hole 19 is first bored in itsproper location so that the axis of the hole is perpendicular to theimmediate edge of the door 15. In this example the door is illustratedas a ve-ply plywood door inasmuch as door panels of this type are moredilcult to mount than solid panels or at least doors with solid edges.

The hinge strap 13 is applied to the door by pressing or driving theexpansion shield 18 into the hole 19. This may be done by a hammer or ahammer with the aid of a screw driver or, when operations are performedon a large scale basis, by use of a tool 35, the tool being shown bestin the exploded view of Fig. 6. For convenience the tool has a pilot 36which tits within the interior of the expansion shield, shoulders 37which are adapted to engage in grooves S8 on the expansion shield, and asecond set of shoulders 39 which are adapted to engage the depth settingelements 25. The distance between the outside ends of the shoulders 37may be made no greater than the outside diameter of the expansion shieldso that the shoulders 37 may enter a short dis- 4 n tance into thehole19 during the assembly operation. The shoulders 39 pressed upon thedepth setting elements 25 may be driven in sufficiently far so that thedepth setting elements are in turn driven into the wood at the edge ofthe door to a depth substantially equivalent to the thickness of thedepth setting elements. At this point the shoulders 39 will engage theedge of the door to determine the limit to which Vthe expansion shieldis to be inserted. This depth may be kept regularly consistent by use ofa tool of the character of the tool 35. Applied in this manner theexpansionshield will be in axial alignment with the hole 19 and the axisof the hinge connection between the hinge straps will be at preciselyright angles thereto and precisely parallel to the edge of the door andthe direction of swing of the door.

After the expansion shield has been thus positioned it may be anchoredin place by insertion of the expander 30. The expander also may bedriven or pressed into place by a hammer or other convenient tool butfor improved precision and speed where cabinet work is performed on alarge scale an expander positioning tool 4l? may be employed. The tool40 is preferably pro-Y vided with a pilot 41, the greatestcross-sectional distance of which is not greater than the interiordiameter of the expansion shield. In the pilot there may be providedgrooves 42 in a V-shaped arrangement so that they are adapted to receivethe end 31 of the expander 36 to a sufficient depth to guide theexpander. expander is then pressed into the expansion shield so that itoccupies the position illustrated in Figures 2, 4

and 5. lt is important to note that inasmuch as the split 21 is on theside of the expansion shield nearest a face 45 of the door 15, when theshield expands it will expand in an edgewise direction. Expansion inthat direction is forced by positioning the expander 30 as shownparticularly in Figure 5. The reaction of the parts when thus used issuch as to press the expansion shield in a direction such that it willnot separate the joints of the plywood, the frictional grip beingenhanced in a direction wherein the door or cabinet element has greateststrength and resistance. When the expander is made of material such asspring steel, should Vthe condition of the wood of the door change tothe end that the hole 19 becomes larger, the inherent resiliency tendingto spring the expander outwardly will continue and the expansion shieldwill likewise continue to be pressed outwardly and thus preserve thefrictional engagement. Should the hole 19 shrink, the shield and theexpander may be pressed more tightly together without damaging orsubsequently loosening the joint should a further change occur. Itshould also be noted that the depth of the hole 19 preferably exceedsthe depth of the expansion shield so that should the expander be drivenmore deeply than necessary into the shield it will not damage, weaken orstrain the plywood door panel in that extra space is provided to receiveit as suggested in Figure 4.

After the hinge strap 13 has been mounted as described, the hinge strap10 may be attached to the other cabinet element in a conventionalmanner.

To improve the inexpensiveness of constructing a hinge of the typedescribed, the hinge connection may be one of the types illustrated inparticular detail in Figure 3. This construction contemplates the twohinge straps 10 and 13 as comprising the only elements of the hinge. Thestrap 1li is punched so as to provide a space'8 and the metal of thehinge strap is turned upon itself to form the hinge pin 16. The hingepin, frequently designated in the form shown as a coined type hinge pin,may be perfectly rounded by being pressed between two halves'ofvaforming die. may be projected through the spacing 8 and subsequentlybent around the hinge pin-to form the sheaf l17. While this form ofhinge connection is desirable from the'point Y of view of economy andcontributes to the success of the The` Thereafter an end 9 of the hingestrap 13 novel features of the hinge, a conventional hinge joint may beresorted to without impairing the application of the hinge strap 13 toan appropriate cabinet element.

A modified form of the hinge is shown in Figure l() applied to a doorframe 11 in order to attach a door 15. In this form the strap isconstructed in a general manner as previously described, namely aconventional strap, a pin 49 provides means for mounting thereon asheath 50 of a second strap 13. The strap 13 has an angularly turned outor offset flat portion 46 adjoining a flat portion 51 so that the twoform a right angular section litting into the corner where the facepanel overlaps the edge of the door. In the turned out portion is aninset aperture 47 tilted angularly toward the plane of the flat portion51 at an angle of some 10 to 15. Walls 52 of the aperture extend outwarda substantial distance so that the exterior of the walls enter anobliquely drilled hole made to start a screw 48 so that the walls serveto locate the strap 13 with respect to the hole in a proper position onthe edge of the door 15. The screw 43 follows an oblique path at anangle of some 10 to 15 and thus directed traverses adjacent layers ofthe plywood door stock.

To improve the neatness of appearance of the modified hinge and thecompactness of its design the strap 1? may he provided with false endsor caps 55. The false ends may be stamped with the initial cutting ofthe blank as shown in Figure 1l, and formed from the material comprisinga pair of sheaths SS. When the strap 10 is partially completed sheaths58 are folded over for reception of the pin 49. This pin may be smallerin diameter than is customary because of being well confined by thesheaths.

After the pin has been put in place it is confined or locked therein bythe caps 55 which are bent over the ends of the pin. The caps 55 thusserve to lock the pin in place. In addition they supply a cover toprevent` freshly applied paint from working into the hinge, improve theease of painting the hinge and add measurably to the neatness ofappearance of the assembled hinge.

There has therefore been shown and described a hinge having aconstruction particularly well adapted to precise alignment of thehinged parts which may be successfully used not only with relativelythin plywood panels but with panels or doors of virtually anydescription by being constructed so that one element or hinge strap canbe inserted edgewise into a door. The number of sizes necessarilycarried for the accommodation of doors of different thicknesses may beconsiderably minimized in that the hinge strap 13 may be properlypositioned on a door of virtually any thickness merely by properlylocating the hole 19 with respect to the faces of the door. Use of thehinge described minimizes the labor of setting and attaching the hingeby eliminating a large number of screws and holes therefor, therebyeffecting a substantial saving not only in the cost of the hinge itselfbut in the cost of labor when using the hinge for cabinet and otherwork.

While we have herein shown and described our invention in what we haveconceived to be the most practical and preferred embodiment, it isrecognized that departures may be made therefrom within the scope of ourinvention, which is not to be limited to the details disclosed hereinbut is to be accorded the full scope of the claims so as to embrace anyand all equivalent devices.

Having described our invention, what we claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is:

1. A hinge comprising two hinge straps of uniform thickness throughoutengaged one within the other and having a pivotal joint therebetween, atleast one of said hinge straps comprising a flat section having alaterally extending element thereon adapted to engage the edge of a doorfor fixing the position of the flat section with respect thereto, and asleeve expandable laterally throughout its length extending from theliat section in a direction transverse relative to the joint and adaptedto be inserted within a structural member, said sleeve having anoperative position wherein the sleeve is in expanded relationshipadapted to grip said structural member.

2. A hinge comprising two hinge straps of uniform thickness throughoutengaged one within the other and having a pivotal joint therebetween anda straight hinge pin confined within said straps, one of said strapscomprising a flat section, at least one expansion sleeve extending fromthe flat section in a direction transverse to the joint adapted to beinserted within a structure member, said sleeve having a longitudinalsplit throughout its length on one side thereof, at least one laterallyextending edge portion on the flat section adjoining the shield at theend thereof adjacent the flat section adapted to engage the edge of adoor to iix the position of the flat section with respect thereto, andan expander wedge having an operative position assembled in the sleeveand in outwardly pressing relationship thereto wherein the sleeve isexpanded into a position adapted to gripl the structural member.

3. An Offset type Acabinet hinge comprising two hinge straps of uniformthickness throughout engaged one within the other having a concentricpivotal joint therebetween and a straight hinge pin within said strapsat the engaging portion, one of said straps having a conventional meansfor attachment to a structural member, the other of said strapscomprising a at section having stitfening grooves extending transverselyto the joint, at least one split cylindrical expansion sleeve extendingfrom the liat section in a direction transverse to the joint and havingone side substantially in alignment with the plane of the tlat sectionand having a split throughout the length of the other side, at least onelaterally extending edge portion on the at section adjoining the sleeveat theend thereof adjacent the flat section adapted to engage the edgeof another structural member to fix the position of the at section withrespect thereto, and an expanding wedge of stiff resilient characterlarger in width throughout a portion thereof than the inside diameter ofthe shield and having an operative position assembled in the shield andYin outwardly pressing relationship thereto wherein the shield isexpanded to a potential gripping position for engagement with the otherstructural member.

References Cited in the iile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS481,044 Mottnger Aug. 16, 1892 746,509 Hogan Dec. 8, 1903 803,509 RyanOct. 31, 1905 931,697 Maxwell Aug. 17, 1909 1,138,025 Stoll May 4, 19151,461,175 Bicker July 10, 1923 2,121,572 Polden et al .Tune 21, 1938FOREIGN PATENTS 233,796 Switzerland Nov. 16, 1944 531,347 Great BritainJan. 2, 1941

